Kagan’s fellow law clerks announce endorsement

Days before Elena Kagan appears before the Senate Judicary Committee to begin her Supreme Court confirmation hearings, the White House released a letter signed by 29 Supreme Court clerks from the 1987-1988 term, during which Kagan clerked for Justice Thurgood Marshall.

In the letter released Thursday, the clerks, who worked for justices of all judicial stripes from Harry Blackmun to Antonin Scalia, described the New York lawyer as “remarkably fair-minded and intellectually honest” and said she would be “an outstanding justice.”

They also praised Kagan’s ability to accept differing opinions. “Elena is able to advance, and at times adjust, her positions while maintaining respect for and openness to other views,” the clerks wrote.

The clerks made a point of bolstering Kagan against arguments that she is insufficiently experienced to serve on the high court, saying she possesses “a rich knowledge of constitutional and administrative law.” They added that, “Her legal and intellectual qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court are exceptional.”

Kagan’s confirmation hearings are slated to begin Monday.

— By Alan Blinder

>>> New York on the Potomac will present a comprehensive preview of the Kagan confirmation hearings beginning this weekend. Check in all weekend for our special report and come back Monday for analysis of the first day of Senate Judiciary Committee action.